The complexity and effort required to manipulate the variety of unique records generated by present record generating devices has caused information system developers to develop unique (in the sense of customized) information systems and processes for each data record source. Current information gathering and processing systems, for example telecommunications information support systems, frequently receive data records from several input devices, many of which may use different record formats. In order to be able to manipulate the data in the records from these diverse sources, this information processing environment requires that a custom interface exist between each data record generating device and the data processing system. FIG. 1 depicts a typical current operating environment for an exemplary telecom billing system.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 1 each input device or data generator 12, 14, 16, 18 requires a custom interface 12', 14', 16', 18' respectively to input the data records it generates to a host computer 20 for processing. Similarly the host computer requires a custom interface 12', 14', 16' and 18' respectively for accepting data from each of the data generating devices. These are not trivial interfaces to design and implement and especially on the host computer side of the system, may represent a significant resource allocation. In the telecom example, assume that a telecom customer initially subscribes only to telephone service. Each transaction event, i.e. telephone call, triggers a data record reflecting that transaction in a specified format to be processed. If, over time, that customer adds cable TV to its service, a new and usually differently formatted stream of data records is generated each time a transaction event occurs. If still later, that customer adds a pager and a fax machine to its service, additional new and again differently formatted data record streams are generated for each transaction originating from those sources. All of these situations create potential problems of communication and data/record interoperability between the record input device and the information processing system.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,491 to provide object i.e. data structure, oriented computing environments in which data is imported or exported using a common external interface for data structures within a data structure oriented environment by encapsulating the data using a "tagging" scheme in order to obviate the need for separate interfaces in order to communicate between the object oriented computing environment and other, external computing environment. This technique does not generally involve the use logical conversion or validation operations.
The invention of U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,491 is directed to a method of simplifying coding, i.e. software for mapping pairs of objects defined at program generation. As such, it is directed to the data processor side of a prior art system such as that described above.
Vendor generated problems, i.e., communications (or network) interoperability, are usually addressed by means of a network protocol convertor or by open standards. However, (again reverting to the telecom example) each time a new device or service is added (e.g., caller ID, call waiting, voice mail), a new, usually custom designed data/record format interface must also be designed in order to support that device or service. As more new telecom services, such as multiway pagers, home (electronic) banking, personal (Internet) home pages, and E-mail proliferate, and as industries such as the telecom industry experience consolidation and deregulation events where different corporate entities using different transaction data record formats or protocols merge and/or acquire each other, the problem of rationalizing record collection and data processing will, based on current technology, become more complex and severe.
The standard conventional solution, that of modifying or recreating an entire accounting or billing system to support that new service or device or creating a patchwork of customized data record formats become less tenable and less satisfactory as options. Also, for specialized data record streams (such as corporate transactions) industry wide standards are not a viable option as data record structures are often a vital part of a company's proprietary data processing operations.